Standard developed to evaluate hazards relating to chemical products

NSF International and the American Chemical Society Green Chemistry Institute (ACS GCI) have developed an American National Standard in a bid to provide a standardized way to define and report the environmental and human health hazards associated with a chemical product and its manufacturing process impacts.

The new standard, which will be officially known as NSF/GCI/ANSI 355 Greener Chemicals and Processes Information Standard, establishes standardized criteria for comparing chemicals and processes that NSF hopes will help chemical manufacturers and their customers make greener choices.

Developed by stakeholders

"[The standard] provides suppliers with a framework to provide information about products to downstream manufacturers, processors and formulators," said Ann Mason, American Chemistry Council's senior director. "The standard contains defined metrics that are relevant and measurable."

In order to develop the standard, NSF and ACS GCI called upon stakeholders to help develop a uniform method by which to assess and report attributes for the chemical's characteristics and manufacturing processes.

What was agreed upon was a framework that chemical manufacturers can use to develop a standardized report to provide information to their customers throughout the supply chain.

Evaluate and certify

The report will be used to evaluate chemical products and their associated manufacturing processes in several key categories, such as chemical characteristics, chemical processes, and social responsibility.

NSF International will act as a third party certifier confirming reports to this standard, meaning that users of a chemical who receive a certified NSF/GCI/ANSI 355 report from their suppliers can be assured all the data has been checked and is in line with the standards.

"This standard is an important tool for helping chemical manufacturers and their customers evaluate chemicals and associated manufacturing processes and make greener choices," said Richard Engler, with the EPA Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics.

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NSF International and the American Chemical Society Green Chemistry Institute (ACS GCI) have developed an American National Standard in a bid to provide a standardized way to define and report the environmental and human health hazards associated with a chemical product and its manufacturing process impacts.